KALAMAZOO — Even with extensions of unemployment benefits, hundreds of Southwest Michigan residents are losing their weekly checks as the individual insurance payments expire.

As many are left wondering where to turn, local officials say more will turn to area shelters, food banks and their families to get by.

“We’re seeing people struggling to piece together enough hours of work,” said Anne Wend Lipsey, executive director of Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, a local food bank. “We’re seeing adult children move in with parents, with people struggling to balance the consolidated household. It’s getting increasingly complex.”

The need for food assistance will continue to grow, Lipsey said, and the weeks surrounding the holidays could be very busy, as kids are out of school and parents struggle to put food on the table.

Earlier this year, state officials said 1,500 Kalamazoo County residents would lose unemployment benefits between this August and December. An estimated 20,000 were out of work in the Kalamazoo Metropolitan Statistical Area in October.

In November, Congress passed a 20-week extension of unemployment insurance.The deadline to apply for the extension is Dec. 31, and about 70,000 Michigan residents are expected to seek the extension, according to Norman Isotalo, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth.

The state Department of Human Services anticipated a greater need for food stamps and other economic assistance and opened a temporary office at 322 Stockbridge Ave. in Kalamazoo to sign people up, Isotalo said.

Meanwhile, more of the people seeking help at the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission are unemployed or underemployed, said Donna Pearce, the shelter’s director of development. And more people than ever are taking part in the mission’s meal program, which serves about 570 meals a day and provides shelter for about 275 people a night, she said.

Compared to last year, numbers served are down slightly, according to Pearce, who attributes that to people leaving the area because they can’t find jobs. “They’re feeling like there’s not much hope here,” she said.

Pearce said 31 percent of homeless people are employed, often in low-paying jobs earning minimum wage. “Minimum wage is not going to make it in this society,” she said.

Demand for emergency utility and food assistance from the Salvation Army in Kalamazoo also is growing, said Betsy Clark, its development and volunteer coordinator.

Based on federal income guidelines, the Salvation Army can provide miscellaneous assistance up to $300 per family, such as gas cards or money for Christmas expenses. About 2,000 families will receive some Christmas assistance and more than 4,000 children will receive toys, she said.

Qualifying seniors can get a food voucher for meals over the holidays from the Salvation Army.The need for energy assistance is on the rise, leading to a significant waiting list for Kalamazoo County’s home weatherization program, said Mike Rodriguez, director of the Kalamazoo County Community Action Agency.

The agency has funding to help low-income residents with deliverable fuel needs, such as propane, wood or coal, Rodriguez said.